News & Announcements

On March 10, 2016, the Institute of Buddhist Studies (IBS) honored our Rev. Dr. Alfred Bloom with the 2016 President’s Award. The President’s Award recognizes an individual’s support for the Institute since its founding in 1949. Previous recipients have been Prof. Taitetsu Unno (2014) and Prof. Lewis Lancaster (2015). The...

March 16, 2016 Posted By: adminMinistersComments are off for this post

The IHS, Institute for Human Services, with a mission to support those who need help and to respect all people’s rights to live safely and with dignity, held a faith-based Summit on Homelessness at Central Union Church on March 14, 2016, co-sponsored by the Interfaith Alliance of Hawai’i. The intention...

The 104th Giseikai, the Legislative Assembly of the Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii, was held at Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin on February 12-13, 2016. A total of 148 delegates and observers (temple representatives) from throughout the Hawaiian Islands had gathered to discuss the resolutions including the Mission budget for the...

January 2, 2016 Posted By: adminSocial ConcernsComments are off for this post

Did you know that 1 out of 5 people, annually, need help in getting food? Yes, according to the Fact Book of the Hawaii Food Bank, 287,000 people, of all ages, receive help in getting food each year in Hawaii. On December 28, 2015, Rev. Blayne Higa, Chair of the...

December 15, 2015 Posted By: adminMinistersComments are off for this post

Honpa Hongwanji Mission of Hawaii announces the following updates to ministerial assignments: Rev. William Masuda, a retired minister of the Buddhist Churches of America, will be assigned to Makawao Hongwanji Mission as its resident minister as of February 1, 2016. This will be a temporary assignment (at least 2 years)...

December 15, 2015 Posted By: adminBook StoreComments are off for this post

Introducing new books available for purchase at Headquarters Book Store now: The Awareness of Self A guide to the Understanding of Shin Buddhism By Gyodo Hagui (Translated by William Masuda) Reprinted 2015 published by Buddhist Education Center $8.00

Dear Hongwanji Community: Pacific Buddhist Academy big news to share! Thanks to a pledge of 250,000,000 yen (about 2 million dollars) from the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha and support from you and many temples, affiliate organizations and laypeople of the Hawaii Kyodan and other friends, PBA has reached a major milestone...

November 15, 2015 Posted By: adminHistoryComments are off for this post

Honouliuli Internment Camp, by National Park Service [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Source » It was 8 a.m. in the morning when a group of Buddhist and Shinto priests boarded a bus which departed Honolulu headed for Leeward Oahu. At a predestination stop, one could see the wide expanse of land...

November 15, 2015 Posted By: adminInterfaithComments are off for this post

Alan and Rosemary Goto, Honpa Hongwanji Hawaii Betsuin, with Bishop Eric Matsumoto in Salt Lake City. Alan provides the following report. With the urging and assistance of the Board of Directors of The Interfaith Alliance Hawaii, my wife, Rosemary, and I were extremely fortunate to take part in the Parliament...

Overseas members are invited to come to Kyoto, Japan to be present for the formal accession of His Eminence Kojun Ohtani, Sennyo Monshu, the 25th Head Priest of the Hongwanji. There are two ceremonies to choose from, one in 2016 and one in 2017. In each case, a spiritual enrichment...

Tomorrow, Saturday June 24, 2017, the "Ellison Onizuka: A Remembrance" exhibit will open at JCCH. There will be an opening/dedication ceremony to be held at 9 AM, with our Bishop Eric Matsumoto doing the invocation for the program. The Bishop has said it is an honor to do so, as someone who shares the same birthplace (Kona) as Ellison, and as a fellow Japanese-American and Jodo Shin Buddhist. This event is open to the public.

We will be holding a Kikyoshiki Confirmation Ceremony by His Eminence Gomonshu Kojun Ohtani in September!

Confirmation Ceremony, or “Kikyoshiki”, is a solemn ceremony performed before Amida Buddha and Shinran Shonin to officially confirm your entry into the Path of the Nembutsu. Participants will affirm their reverence toward the Three Treasures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha. “Buddha” is not simply in reference to Sakyamuni, but refers more importantly to Amida Buddha, the Buddha of Immeasurable Wisdom and Boundless Compassion. “Dharma” is the teaching of Amida’s Compassionate working to embrace all beings without any discrimination. “Sangha” refers to the community of people who have entrusted themselves to Amida Buddha and its Nembutsu teaching.

By participating in the Confirmation Ceremony, you will receive a Dharma Buddhist Name (Homyo). These names are in the form of “Shaku” and two Buddhist terms which follow. The word “Shaku” means “disciple of Sakyamuni” and signifies that the person has joined the followers of the teachings of Sakyamuni Buddha, a community that transcends race or nationality.

His Eminence Gomonshu Kojun Ohtani, the Head Priest and the Spiritual Leader of the Jodo Shinshu Hongwanji-ha Organization, will be officiating the Confirmation Ceremony at the following three locations. Please note that the Confirmation Ceremony is open to anyone throughout the State. There is no minimum or maximum age limit however the individual must be able to participate in the ceremony at the temple. We sincerely hope that you will take this wonderful opportunity and participate in the Confirmation Ceremony. Please contact your resident minister if you have any questions about this ceremony.Honpa Hongwanji Hilo Betsuin (398 Kilauea Ave., Hilo)Tuesday, September 5, 2017, 5:30pm

Jodo Shinshu followers in Hawaii will have three opportunities in September 2017 to affirm their reverence toward the Three Treasures of the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha and receive a Buddhist name from Gomonshu Kojun Ohtani. The Gomonshu is the Head Priest and Spiritual Leader of the Jodo Shinshu Hon